Abortion in Chile

I want to start this article making it clear that all of the things written here are based on official news, mixed with my own opinion. The abortion is a topic widely discussed in these last days in my country because the Chilean Senate approved the decriminalization of abortion in 3 cases on August 21st.

“In an arduous discussion, the Senate dispatched by a narrow majority and in its last process the initiative to the flexibility the strict regulations and to allow the legalization of abortion in case the mother is in danger, if a fetus is not feasible or when the pregnancy is the result of a violation. Chile is currently one of the few countries in the world where abortion is illegal in all cases, in a sample of its conservative tradition.

The Chileans woman had to wait almost three decades to regain the right to choose if they interrupt their pregnancies in case their life is in danger, fetal unfeasibility and rape. In a historic ruling that has been followed and expected both by the authorities and as citizens, the Constitutional Court rejected Monday the requirements of the right-wing opposition that sought to paralyze one of the projects of the greater symbolism of the second government of Michelle Bachelet.”(http://www.lavanguardia.com/internacional/20170803/43297583830/chile-aprueba-historico-proyecto-despenalizar-aborto.html)

1 Risk the woman life: When the life of the pregnant woman is at risk, one of the three causes of the bill that decriminalizes voluntary termination of pregnancy seeks to enable women to have access to the necessary medical treatments to preserve their lives, even when the same imply the interruption of the pregnancy.

2 Fetal Infeasibility: This causes that in cases where the embryo or fetus suffers from a congenital structural or genetic alteration of a lethal nature, the woman can decide whether or not to interrupt her pregnancy. Forcing the woman to carry out the pregnancy, or forcing her to wait for the death of the fetus, is to keep her in a permanent state of mourning.

3 Pregnancy due to rape: This reasoning establishes that the pregnancy can be interrupted when it is the result of a violation. In these circumstances, the bill states that if the woman who has been pregnant due to a rape, does not want to go ahead with the pregnancy, she can’t be required to continue it. What is proposed is that she has the possibility to decide and thus prevent a new denial of her will.

In my personal opinion, Chile, despite having made great progress with regard to the issue of abortion, there is still much more to do. Since we are in the year 2017, and only three cases have been approved, I think that already it is time for women in my country to have the right, duty and freedom to decide what they want to do with their lives and bodies without depending on what the government and state decide. We are one of the 7 countries in the world, in which free abortion is still not legal, due to the thoughts that this will increase abortions and deaths, as well as creating depression for mothers. But proven by experiments and figures, countries in which free abortion is legal, the number of abortions has not increased. The number of deaths from illegal abortions has decreased. Chile is considered an underdeveloped country, but I think that related to this topic, Chile is too traditional.

I do not think abortion is a positive process, but I support the choice that each person has the right to choose and evaluate their own.